Abstract

Smectics in strained aerogel exhibit two new glassy phases. The strain both ensures the stability of these phases and determines their nature. One type of strain induces an “ XY Bragg glass,” while the other creates a novel, triaxially anisotropic “ m = 1 Bragg glass.” The latter exhibits anomalous elasticity, characterized by exponents that we calculate to high precision. We predict the phase diagram, and numerous other experimentally observable scaling laws, for the system.

Disciplines

Physics

Copyright

Publisher statement

This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Physical Society. The following article appeared in Physical Review Letters.